I had quite a profound experience last night. We were hosting a dinner in our home for a few fellow Vineyard leaders. I was in the kitchen, doing some dishes, when a beautiful thought came to me: “True community enfolds us in our weakness, elevates us in our strength and engages us to find our place within.”
I walked into the other room, dazed by this simple encounter with God, and as I entered a question was being asked of the group. “What is the value you most love about community?” Dr. Peter Fitch was asking the question, one of the professors here at St. Stephen’s University and pastor of the St. Croix Vineyard. I felt prepared to answer it before it was asked.
True community enfolds us, and covers our nakedness in its strength. True community elevates us, and keeps our uniqueness and individuality from being swallowed up in the identity of the group. True community engages us, and allows our “note” to blend with the other notes being played. A beautiful polyphony ensues; a texture that without us would have been impossible.